Oscillating vane machines



March 31, 1970 J. EHRLICH ETAL 3,503,374

OSCILLATING VANE MACHINES Filed Feb. 19, 1968 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 1970 J. EHRLlCH ETAL 3,503,374

OSCILLATING VANE MACHINES 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 19, 1968 March 1970 J. EHRLICH ETAL 3,503,374

OSCILLATING VANE MACHINES Filed Feb. 19, 1968 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 3 B

J. EHRLICH ETAL 3,503,374

OSCILLATING VANE MACHINES March 31, 1970 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed. Feb. 19, 1968 FIG.4A.

March 1970 J. EHRLICH ETAL 3, 3,

OSCILLATING VANE MACHINES Filed Feb. 19, 1968 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 FlG. 4 a

Mawh 1970 J. EHRLICH ETAL 3,

OSCILLATING VANE MACHINES I Filed Feb. 19, 1968 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 i 42 1 k I l I f 7| 43 I A 4 O 1 K 66 50 67 K 9 I00 87K IOI 9 J FIG.5B.

JQEHRLICH ETAL 3,503,374

OSCILLATING VANE MACHINES March 31, 1970 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Feb. 19, 1968 FIG. 6

March 31, 1970 J. EHRLICH ETAL 3,503,374

OSCILLATING VANE MACHINES Filed Feb. 19, 1968 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 March 31, 1970 J. EHRLICH ETAL 3,503,374

OSCILLATING VANE MACHINES Filed Feb. 19, 1968 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 United States Patent US. Cl. 123-18 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An oscillating vane (which may be an internal combustion engine, or a compressor or pump, or both combined) comprises one or more vanes each on a shaft and rotationally reciprocable therewith within a casing which defines working spaces on each side of each vane. The end and outer surfaces of each vane are provided with double seals between them and respective opposed surfaces of the casings, defining interseal spaces between the double seals, and oil under pressure is supplied to the interseal spaces. In a preferred embodiment, two hollow coaxial shafts, end to end, each carry two hollow vanes interposed between the vanes carried by the other, and the two shafts are connected to a double-throw crankshaft and reciprocate in antiphase. A cam shaft driven from the crankshaft rotates within the two coaxial shafts and at its ends carries cams which control inlet and outlet valves provided in the casing for each working space which is arranged to operate an interseal combustion process which may be either two-stroke or four-stroke; and an oil pump supplies oil under pressure through the coaxial shafts and vanes to the interseal spaces.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and compressors or pumps (referred to herein as pumps) of the oscillating vane type, and it is an object of the invention to provide an effective engine or pump of this type.

A preferred embodiment of an oscillating vane machine according to the invention comprises two coaxial shafts each provided with two vanes, the vanes of each shaft projecting beyond an end thereof and over an end of the respective other shaft and being disposed between the two vanes of said other shaft, all four vanes being mutually similar and disposed within said casing and defining therewithin four working spaces, said shafts being linked to one another for synchronous but opposite rotary reciprocal movement and all four vanes being similarly provided with double seals between themselves and the casing faces, and means arranged to supply oil under pressure to the interseal spaces defined between said double seals.

A machine according to the invention may constitute an internal combustion engine, with at least two mutually adjacent ones of the working spaces serving as combustion chambers, said casing being provided with a respective inlet valve and a respective exhaust valve for each of the said combustion chambers and there being rotatably mounted within said two coaxial shafts a cam shaft having projecting ends on which are secured respectively an inlet-valve cam and an outlet-valve cam, said cams co-operating with valve-actuating linkages connected respectively to the said inlet valves and to the said outlet valves.

In such an engine, all the working spaces may serve as combustion chambers and be provided with inlet and outlet valves controlled by the said cams; or the remaining two working spaces may be arranged as a pump so "ice that the machine constitutes a combined engine and pump.

The cams may be single lobe cams, the camshaft being driven at the same speed, or at half the speed, of a crankshaft to which the vaned shafts are linked, depending on whether the engine operates on a two-stroke or a four stroke cycle.

Two internal combustion engines embodying the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a transverse sectional view of the first embodiment,

FIGURE 2, in its upper and lower halves, gives a sketch broken away side view and a partial axial sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURES 3A and 3B together constitute FIGURE 3 which is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a second engine embodying the invention,

FIGURES 4A and 4B together constitute FIGURE 4 which is a transverse vertical sectional view of the second engine, taken on the line IVIV of FIGURE 3,

FIGURES 5A and 5B together constitute FIGURE 5 which is a longitudinal sectional view of the engine shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, taken on the line VV of FIG- URE 4 and showing the section line IIIIII on which FIGURE 3 is taken, and

FIGURE 6 is an exploded perspective view, on a larger scale, of oscillating vanes and seals of the engine shown in FIGURES 3 to 5, the assembly being shown in FIGURES 7 and 8, which are respectively sectional views taken on the lines VIIVII of FIGURE 8 and VII-VII of FIGURE 7.

As shown in FIGURES l and 2, the first embodiment of an engine according to the invention comprises an engine casing indicated generally as 1, in which is rotatably reciprocable a member 2 having diametrically opposed vanes 3 and 4. The casing 1 forms a total of four working spaces, spaces 5 and 6 on opposite sides of the vane 3 and spaces 7 and 8 on opposite sides of the vane 4. Each of the four spaces is provided with a respective inlet valve 9 and a respective outlet valve 9' (behind the respective inlet valve and therefore not shown in FIGURE 1, but indicated in FIGURE 2).

The central part of the member 2 constitutes a shaft which is rotatably mounted in bearings at opposite ends of the engine casing, and on one projecting end of the shaft is mounted an arm 10 which is linked by a connecting rod 11 to a single-throw crankshaft 12. It will be understood that this relates reciprocating motion of the vanes 3 and 4 (with a predetermined amplitude) to continuous rotation of the crankshaft 12.

As shown in the drawing, each of the working spaces 5, 6, 7 and 8 is provided with a respective sparking plug 13. The total of eight inlet and outlet valves of the working spaces are controlled by eight cams mounted on two cam shafts 14 and 15, these being rotatably mounted in the engine casing and driven from the crankshaft 12 (by drive means which is not shown but which may be a chain or gear drive).

It will be understood that by suitable design of cams, and by connecting the four inlet valves 9 to a suitable induction system including a carburettor, the four sparking plugs 13 being also supplied from a suitably timed ignition system (not shown), the four working spaces may each be made to operate on a conventional fourstroke internal combustion cycle, each plug 13 firing once per two revolutions of the crank shaft-the firing of successive plugs 13 being evenly spaced at one per halfrevolution of the crankshaft.

An important feature of the engine is that its form permits of efficient lubrication and sealing between the reciprocable member 2 and the engine casing 1. To this end, the vanes 3 and 4 are each provided with two scraping seals 16 which engage part-cylindrical surfaces 17 and 18 of the engine casing and which are extended radially inwards across the end surfaces of the vanes, the radially extending parts of the seals 16 engaging end plates of the casing. Oil from a sump 19 in the casing is pumped by means (not shown) driven from the crankshaft 12 into a central bore 20 of the member 2 and thence through radially extending ducts 21 ending in apertures 22 to the space, bounded by the seals 16, between the vanes and the surrounding surface of the engine casing. At the ends of the vanes 3 and 4, the shaft part of the member 2 is formed with flanges 23, which bear against circular seals 24 provided in the engine casing 1; and the ends of the seals 16 extend radially inwards to these flanges so that they also seal against the seals 24. Thus the seals 16 and 24 seal off the narrow oil-filled spaces between the surfaces 17 and 18, and the end surfaces of the casing 1 and the outer and end surfaces of the vanes 3 and 4 sliding thereover. Preferably the oil supply to these oil-filled spaces is a circulating supply to assist in cooling. To this end, the engine casing may be provided, near its seals 24, with ducts through which oil flows back from the said spaces to the engine sump, in which the oil level may be as indicated by the chain line 25 in FIGURE 1.

Lubrication is also provided from the bore 20 for the shaft portion of the member 2 and the part-cylindrical surfaces of the casing 1 with which it engages. For this purpose, ducts 26 are provided in the shaft portion, and the engine casing is provided with pairs of seals 27, each seal 27 extending longitudinally from one to the other of the circular seals 24. Preferably, again, the ducts 26 provide a circulating oil supply to the spaces bounded by the seals 27 and 24, the engine casing 1 being provided with ducts for return of this oil to the sump.

It will be understood that although it is preferred to provide the equivalent of a four-cylinder engine, by providing opposed vanes 3 and 4, it is within the scope of the invention to provide the member 2 with only one vane, the vane 3 for example, the vane 4 and the working spaces 7 and 8 being omitted.

The engine shown in FIGURES 3 to 8 comprises a double-walled cylindrical casing 41, preferably of cast aluminium with an integral iron inner liner 42 provided in known manner. At its ends, the casing 41 is closed by double-walled end plates 43 and 44 which are spigoted and bolted to the casing 41. The end plates 43 and 44 carry bearings 45 and 46 for vane members 47 and 48' whose shapes may be most clearly appreciated from FIGURES 6 to 8, and a further bearing 49 is provided between an inner sleeve 47 of the member 47 and a surrounding inner sleeve 48' of the member 48. The member 47 is formed with a pair of diametrically opposed vanes 50 and 51, extending longitudinally, within the casing 41, from one to the other of the end plates 43 and 44; and the member 48 is similarly formed with a pair of diametrically opposed vanes 52 and 53 (not visible in FIGURE 3) each of which extends parallel to, and between the two vanes 50 and 51. At their outer ends, i.e. outside the chamber formed by the casing 41 and end plates 43 and 44, the vane members 47 and 48 have secured on them levers 54 and 55, respectively, which are connected by respective connecting rods 56 and 57 to a crankshaft 58 which is journalled in a downward extension 59 of the casing 41 and in engine frame parts 60 and 61 which are bolted to the end plates 43 and 44.

As the crankshaft 58 rotates, the vane members 47 and 48 each oscillate with an amplitude of 45, the member 47 about a vertical mean position and the member 48 about a horizontal mean position. Thus the vanes 50 and 51 are alternately closely adjacent to the vanes 52 and 53 respectively (as shown in FIGURES 4 and 7) and to the vanes 53 and 52 respectively. Thus four working spaces 62, 63, 64 and 65 (see FIGURE 4) alternately expand and contract, in diametrically opposed pairs. Each of the four working spaces is provided with a respective exhaust valve 66 and inlet valve 67, which in the illustrated embodiment are poppet valves controlled by return springs 68 and 69 and push rods 70 and 71 acting through rocker arms 72 and 73; and each working space is further provided with a respective sparking plug 74, the valves and sparking plugs being disposed in the cylindrical casing 41. The push rods 70 and 71 are acted on by cams 75 and 76, respectively, on opposite ends of a timing shaft 77 which extends through central bores of the vane members 47 and 48. At one end, the timing shaft has a sprocket 78, to be driven by a timing chain (not shown) which is itself driven by a sprocket 79 on the crankshaft 58. At its otherend, the timing shaft is coupled to drive a distributor 80 for supplying the plugs 74 and for timing ignition in the four working spaces 62, 63, 64 and 65, The crankshaft 58 has at one end a belt pulley 81 for driving a fan and a dynamo (not shown) and at its other end is secured to a flywheel 82 of a clutch assembly 83.

The sprockets 78 and 79 are such that the timing shaft 77 rotates at half the speed of the crankshaft 58. Each of the four working spaces completes one operating cycle in two revolution of the crankshaft, the ignition stroke in working space 62, for example, being accompanied by the compression stroke in space 63, the induction stroke in space 64 and the exhaust stroke in space 65 (induction being through a carburettor (not shown)) and the firing order of the four spaces being 62, 63, 64 and 65 at equally spaced intervals (each being 180 of rotation of the crankshaft).

The double-walled cylindrical casing 41 and end plates 43 and 44 provide a water jacket around the working spaces.

Mounted on the downward extension 59 of the casing 41, in a sump 84 of the engine, is an oil pump 85 which supplies the crankshaft bearings and also supplies oil under pressure to a chamber 86 surrounding the timing shaft 77. The timing shaft 77 is hollow and has radial apertures in communication both with the chamber 86 and with the central bores of the vane members 47 and 48, the outer ends of these being closed by seals 87 and 88 which also constitute bearings for the timing shaft 77. Thus oil flows under pressure through the timing shaft into the central bores of the vane members 47 and 48.

As best shown in FIGURES 6 to 8 the vane member 47 has a pair of vanes 50 and 51 which project radially from a cylindrical boss 47" which has approximately half the axial length of the vanes 50 and 51, and the axially projecting parts of the vanes 50 and 51 ride over a similar boss 48" of the member 48. Between adjacent ends of the bosses 47" and 48" is disposed an annular sealing ring 87. The interior of the boss 47" and of its vanes 50 and 51 is hollow; and the interior of the boss 48" and of the similar vanes 52 and 53 of the vane member 48 is similarly hollow, and these two hollow spaces, sealed by means of the ring 87 and bounded internally by the sleeves 47 and 48' of the two vane members, with the bearings 49 between them, constitute a chamber which is filled with oil under pressure supplied through apertures 88 and 89 (see FIGURE 3) of the sleeves 47' and 48'.

Each of the vanes 50, 51, 52 and 53 has as its extremity a longitudinal slot 90 in which is disposed a respective generally channel-shaped sealing member 91 urged by a respective leaf spring 92 into sliding sealing engagement with the inner liner 42 of the casing 41. The vane members 47 and 48 and their vanes are also provided with end seals. Sealing rings 93 and 94 respectively are provided between the end plate 43 and the boss 47" and between the boss 48 and the end plate 44. The ends of the vanes 50 and 51 which are adjacent the end plate 43 are each provided with curved slots accommodating two curved sealing pieces 95 which extend from the ring 93 to the respective channel-shaped sealing member 91; and the ends of the vanes 52 and 53 which are adjacent the end plate 44 are similarly slotted and provided each with two pieces 95. The parts of the vanes 52 and 53 which ride over the boss 47" (and over the sealing ring 93) are formed each with a pair of longitudinally extending slots 96 which each accommodate a respective straight sealing piece 97 which provides a seal with the boss 47", the ring 93 and (at its end) with the end plate 43; and each of the vanes 50 and 51 is similarly provided with two sealing pieces 97. Those ends of the vanes 52 and 53 which are adjacent the end plate 43 are further formed with curved slots 98 which accommodate, on each vane, two. curved sealing pieces 99 each of which extends between a respective channel-shaped member 91 and a re spective piece 97 and provides a seal with the end plate 43; and the ends of the vanes 50 and 51 which are adjacent the end plate 44 are similarly provided each with two sealing pieces 99 (not shown).

The oil which is supplied under pressure to the chamber provided within the vane members and their vanes is used to provide both lubrication and cooling of the vanes and vane members. For lubricating the bearings 45 and 46 and the sealing rings 93 and 94, and for providing a circulating flow of oil to provide cooling, the bosses 47" and 48 are formed with apertures 100 and 101 respectively through which oil escapes to return to the sump 84. For lubricating the sealing pieces 91, 95, 97 and 99, each vane has an aperture 102 opening into its slot 90 and each channel-shaped member 91 has apertures 103 through which the oil reaches the surface of the liner 42.

It will be seen that the channel shape of the member 91 provides a double seal between each vane and the liner 42, and that oil under pressure is supplied to the space between the two seals provided by the two limbs of each member 91. Similarly, the two sealing pieces 95 or 99 provided on each end face of a vane also provided a double seal between that end face and the opposed end plate 43 or 44, and the space between the two sealing pieces is similarly filled with oil under pressure.

It will be understood that while the engine is running the chamber within the vane members and vanes is full of oil, and that when the engine is stationary this oil will tend to leak awayprincipally through the apertures 100 and 101 whence it returns to the sump 84. To prevent unwanted leakage of oil, trapped in the lowermost vane 53 below the level of the lowermost apertures 100 and 101, the aperture 102 of this vane may be provided with a tube 104 whose upper end reaches high enough to be above the surface of such trapped oil.

It will be understood that, although each of the engines described above is equivalent to a four-cylinder fourstroke engine with spark-plug ignition and a carburetor induction system, a four cylinder four-stroke fuel injection engine may be provided by replacing the sparking plugs by fuel injectors and using an induction system with no carburetor. By suitable redesign of the cams controlling the valves, a four-cylinder engine operating on a two-stroke cycle, and of either fuel-injection type or carburetor-induction type, may be provided, with external charging means being additionally provided rather than using any of the four working spaces for charging the others.

Although the working spaces are shown in both illustrated embodiments as provided with valves of the poppet type, it will be appreciated that other types of controlled valves may be employed, for example rotating sleeve valves.

Equally it will be appreciated that, although in the illustrated embodiments of the invention the reciprocating motion of the vanes is converted to continuous rotary motion by means of connecting rods and a crankshaft, other means, such as discs provided with peripheral cams or a shaft provided with swash plates, might be provided as alternative means for producing rotary motion. Or, again, the reciprocating motion of the vanes may, instead of being converted into rotary motion, be used directly to drive a reciprocating pump of a hydrostatic fluid power transmission system. For example, only two of the working spaces may be employed as combustion chambers, the other two constituting such a reciprocating pump, so that a combined engine-and-pump is provided. Also, it will be appreciated that although both the abovedescribed embodiments of the invention are internal combustion engines, a machine according to the invention may be in the form of a pump, to be driven by external means.

What we claim is:

1. An oscillating vane machine comprising a casing, two coaxial shafts mounted in said casing for rotary oscillation relative to said casing, two vanes provided on each said shaft and mounted for oscillation therewith, the vanes of each shaft extending generally radially from said associated shaft and projecting beyond an end thereof and over an end of the respective other shaft and being disposed between the two vanes of said other shaft to define within said casing four working chambers, said vanes having two end faces and a radially outward face and said casing surrounding said shafts and vanes and having two end surfaces opposed to the vane end faces and a cylindrical face opposed to the radially outward vane faces, all said vanes being mutually similar to each other, double seal members provided on each said vane end faces and outward face and disposed in sealing contact with the opposed face of said casing, each said double seal members defining between them an interseal space, means arranged to supply oil under pressure to said interseal spaces defined between said double seals, and means interlocking said shafts for synchronous but opposite rotary oscillation.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said vane is hollow and the oil supply means is an oil pump connected to supply oil to the interior of each said vane, said interior being in communication through an oil duct with said interseal spaces.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein each said shaft is hollow and the oil pump is connected through each said shaft to the interior of each vane with which it is provided.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vanes and the said coaxial shafts are hollow and the said means arranged to supply oil under pressure is an oil pump connected through the said shafts to the interiors of the vanes.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4 and constituting an internal combustion engine with at least two mutually adjacent ones of said working spaces serving as combustion chambers, wherein the said casing is provided with a respective inlet valve and a respective exhaust valve for each of the said combustion chambers and wherein there is rotatably mounted within said two coaxial shafts a cam shaft having projecting ends on which are secured respectively an inlet-valve cam and an outlet-valve cam, there being provided, co-operating with said cams, valveactuating linkages connected respectively to the said inlet valves and to the said outlet-valves.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 5 wherein, the said two mutually-adjacent working spaces serving as combustion chambers the remaining two working spaces are arranged as a pump and the machine constitutes a combined engine and pump.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 5 and constituting an internal combustion engine in which each of the four working spaces is a combustion chamber and the casing is provided with a respective inlet valve and with a respective outlet valve for each combustion chamber, said carns co-operating with valve-actuating linkages connected respectively to the four inlet valves and to the four outlet valves.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 4 and provided with a double throw crankshaft connected to drive said cam shaft, said coaxial shafts being connected to said crankshaft by linkages which determine their mutually synchronous but opposite reciprocal movement.

9. An engine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the cams are single lobe cams and the inlet valves, and likewise the outlet valves, and their valve actuating linkages are arranged to be actuated, each once per revolution of the cam shaft, at 90 intervals of said revolution.

10. An engine as claimed in claim 9, wherein the cam shaft is connected to be driven at half the speed of the crankshaft and the engine is arranged to operate a fourstroke combustion cycle in each of its said combustion spaces.

11. An engine as claimed in claim 9, wherein the cam shaft is connected to be driven an equal speed with the crankshaft, and the engine is arranged to operate a twostroke combustion cycle in each of said combustion 1,737,082 11/1929 Gough 123-18 3,299,867 1/1967 Ficsur et al. 123--18 3,315,648 4/1967 Del Castillo 12318 3,408,991 11/1968 Davis 12318 MARK M. NEWMAN, Primary Examiner DOUGLAS HART, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 103145, 147; 230159 

